Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (Multi)
By: Capcom
LAST year's Resident Evil 2 remake was a masterclass in how to update a classic for modern audiences. Just over a year later and Capcom's second nostalgic nightmare gives 1999's Resident Evil 3: Nemesis the same treatment for a lavish but ultimately shallow return to Raccoon City with shortcomings that are borne out of its weaker source material.
Originally planned as a spin-off where players attempted to escape the mean streets of Raccoon City during the original T-virus outbreak, Nemesis was promoted to third Resi proper while development continued on what would ultimately become Resident Evil 4.
Holding a mirror and grenade launcher up to the strange times we now live in – tinfoil hat-types may like to know that Corona is an anagram of Racoon – Jill Valentine attempts to hot-foot it from a virus-riddled urban sprawl run amok with the undead, quickly finding herself in the crosshairs of a hulking fetishwear-clad bioweapon dubbed Nemesis.
If you find Resident Evil's bizarro backtracking puzzles a pain and simply want to fill zombies with lead, Nemesis has got you covered, pal. While most of your time in Resi 2 was spent truffling out the components for some of the series' most oblique puzzles, third time around the block is firmly about lock and load.
A greatest hits montage of Resident Evil 3, with inspired creature designs and tension out the wazoo, the run or gun gameplay leans heavily on the action side of things, with ammo and healing items in limited supply.
And, even though you're tooled up from the get-go, Nemesis is a persistent bugger and a throwback to '80s slasher fare as an unstoppable force stalks players throughout. Capable of wielding a flamethrower and rocket launcher, this walking dread can be slowed with bullets, though it's often advisable to simply run like the clappers.
Raccoon City is brilliantly brought to life here with bleeding-edge tech, though the game's infamously campy B-movie dialogue thankfully remains intact. But no amount of polish disguises the fact that Nemesis can be polished off in five to six hours at a canter. Watching The Irishman twice will eat up more of your life than this full-price release.
The shortest Resident Evil is rendered even briefer by the removal of the original's branching choices for a horror jaunt that's as linear as a piece of string. Bulked out with an online multi-player mode, Resistance pits a team of four against a 'mastermind' who can create traps and enemies. And while it's the best attempt yet at a multi-player Resident Evil, that's not saying much.
Plushly appointed, Nemesis is a visual tour de force and masterstroke in horror action – though just like the original Resident Evil 3, it pales in comparison to its iconic predecessor. Now that's dedication to authenticity.
